


unclear intentions and quick interventions

by esmeraldablazingsky



Category: Naruto
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Friendship, Idiots in Love, Kazekage Gaara, Light Angst, Matchmaking, Misunderstandings, Mutual Pining, Pining, ShikaTema, Sibling Bonding, Why Can't They Just Get Together: a biography by Gaara Kankuro Ino and Choji, aka my favorite trope ever, blink-and-you-miss-it mention of GaaLee, diplomatic stuff (mentioned), ok I think that's all the tags I need but obviously I'm missing like 500
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-20
Updated: 2017-08-20
Packaged: 2018-12-17 15:05:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,307
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11854074
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/esmeraldablazingsky/pseuds/esmeraldablazingsky
Summary: When Shikamaru and his teammates visit Suna on a diplomatic mission, Gaara and Kankuro know it might be their only chance in the forseeable future to get their sister and her motivationless crush to (finally) date each other. Or at least admit their feelings. It really can't be that hard, right?!





	unclear intentions and quick interventions

"Temari!" yells Kankurō, practically kicking down his sister's bedroom door in his haste.

"What!!" Temari shouts back, annoyed.

"A delegation from Konoha is coming to make some agreements with Suna," says Kankurō, and Temari arches an unimpressed eyebrow at him.

"Shouldn't you be telling Gaara instead?" she deadpans. "He's the Kazekage, I'm not."

"Well, guess who's coming this time?" says Kankurō with a wicked grin, wiggling his eyebrows at Temari, who groans.

"Oh, no," she mutters. "Okay, first of all, stop doing that with your eyebrows, it's weird. Second of all... it's Shikamaru, right?" Kankurō nods excitedly.

"Yep! They sent his whole team! Now's your chance to ask him out!"

"No!" says Temari, shocking Kankurō into silence for about five seconds.

"What do you mean, 'no?'" he demands. "This is the opportunity you've been waiting for!" Temari rolls her eyes.

"I'm... busy," she lies.

"Suuuure," says Kankurō. "...You're too shy to talk to him, aren't you?" he guesses, grinning. Temari blushes visibly, which Kankurō takes as a 'yes.'

"What if I get you two together?" offers Kankurō. Temari considers it for a moment.

"Fine, suit yourself," she relents. Kankurō punches the air in victory and runs off to get himself a co-conspirator.

\---

Gaara is less enthusiastic, but a willing participant nonetheless. He and Kankurō greet the Konoha visitors at the city entrance, and Gaara marks Shikamaru's gaze as he glances around for Temari, but doesn't mention her conspicuous absence.

"Hi, guys!" says Kankurō, shaking Ino, Chōji, and Shikamaru's hands enthusiastically. Gaara greets the trio in a slightly more stately manner, and they proceed inside.

The group runs into Temari somewhere around the living quarters assigned to Shikamaru's team, and the ninja in question brightens slightly at the sight of Temari. Evidence, but not enough.

"Whoa," says Temari, skidding to a halt to avoid colliding with anyone. The blush from earlier is back on her face, but Gaara isn't sure if Shikamaru notices it before Temari dashes off in the other direction as fast as her legs will take her, which is admittedly pretty damn fast. Shikamaru stares after her with a mildly bemused expression on his face.

"What's with her?" he mutters.

"She's busy right now," says Gaara smoothly. "Please enjoy your stay here. I would suggest getting some rest before tomorrow." With that, he turns on his heel with a nod to Shikamaru and strides off down the hallway, closely shadowed by Kankurō.

"Which one of us is going to talk to him?" mutters Kankurō. "He's only here for a few days."

"I will test him tomorrow after we finish our discussions," says Gaara. It sounds a little bit ominous, but Kankurō is accustomed to it, and simply shrugs it off with a smile and a wink.

"Good luck with that, little bro," he says. Gaara nods seriously, already considering the conversation ahead.

"I will try my best," he promises.

\---

"You should totally ask Temari out while we're here," says Ino once she, Shikamaru, and Chōji have gotten settled in for the night. Shikamaru sighs from where he's sprawled on the floor, extremely disinclined to get up or do anything at all.

"I would, but it's a drag," he says. "Besides, she and I have more important things to do."

"Are you kidding me," deadpans Ino.

"You really should do it," says Chōji, more gently than Ino had. "It's not the most troublesome thing you've done, anyway. Come on, it'll be fine."

"Yeah, in the grand scheme of things it isn't all that hard to just be honest with her," agrees Ino. "You do 'troublesome' things all the time for the village, you should do something for yourself just this once."

"No thanks," says Shikamaru through a yawn. "I doubt she has time for romance either."

"Come on," snaps Ino. "Fine, if you won't do it, then Chōji and I will find a way."

"We will?" mutters Chōji.

"Of course," announces Ino. Shikamaru groans.

\---

The next day, as they leave the conference room after the first round of deliberations, Gaara reminds himself to initiate Plan A, which is to subtly corral Shikamaru away from the other attendees, slowing down to linger in the shadows.

"So," says Gaara, trying his hardest not to sound suspicious in any way. "What do you think of my sister?" He inwardly curses himself the moment he finishes speaking- he should have said Temari instead of 'my sister,' should have changed his inflection- but Shikamaru just gives him a look that's a little bit confused and yet strangely calm, which is slightly unsettling, really. Not that Gaara isn't used to unsettling things by now, having been one for most of his life.

"I can assure you, I don't have any conflicts of interest in my dealings with Suna," says Shikamaru, his gaze giving nothing away. That wasn't what Gaara had meant and Shikamaru had to know that, but Gaara missed his chance and he can't risk pushing it any farther. That, and the fact that Kankurō is leaning out of a doorway down the hall, gesturing frantically and mouthing ABORT ABORT ABORT. So much for Plan A. Gaara nods slowly, putting on his best Kazekage face while Kankurō vanishes.

"Good," says Gaara, even though it was decidedly Not Good. Not good at all- there are only a few days left in their window of opportunity for Operation Get Temari A Date, and things aren't going well so far.

"Well, I'm going to relax for a bit before I have more stuff to do," Shikamaru informs Gaara, smoothing back a stray lock of hair and waving as he turns down a separate passageway and disappears from view.

Gaara starts walking back to his office, lost in thought, when he runs straight into Temari, who looks just as troubled as Gaara feels.

"Have you spoken to Shikamaru?" asks Gaara before he has time to process what's coming out of his mouth. Temari gives him a funny look.

"I thought you were going to?" she says, sounding a little bit betrayed and a little bit nervous.

"I am unable to convey my intentions adequately in a business setting," replies Gaara. It's true, mostly, but he suspects that either way, Temari speaking to Shikamaru directly would be more effective. “You should speak with him yourself,” he adds.

“I already said I wasn’t going to,” says Temari irritably.

“That’s true,” concedes Gaara, “but I believe it would be more fitting for you to address the matter personally. I do not have the same emotional connections to Shikamaru that you do.”

“The whole point of you and Kankuro talking to him was that I didn’t want to mess anything up,” said Temari, annoyed. “You want something done right, do it yourself.”

“Temari, please,” says Gaara. “You may not have another chance.” He can see Temari struggling with herself for a moment before she sighs, some of the tension draining from her frame.

“Fine, I suppose,” she mutters. Gaara counts that as a win.

\---

The sun is low and burning golden over the desert by the time Temari works up the nerve to go looking for Shikamaru, searching the halls with her heart in her throat. Maybe, she tells herself, maybe this time it'll be more than an exchange of sharp words and insults. She tries, oh god does she try to get her feelings across, but it always comes out harsh, unfeeling, cold when all Temari wants is to offer warmth.

Her thoughts chase each other in circles as she paces through the halls, lit softly by small circles of sunset pouring in through the sand-resistant windows. She doesn't know whether to be relieved or upset if she doesn't find Shikamaru tonight.

However, she doesn't have to find out. Temari stops in her tracks when she hears the soft murmur of voices around the corner. The lights are down low, and she leans past the wall to catch sight of Shikamaru deep in conversation with Chōji.

As she watches, trying to pick up what they're saying, Chōji puts a hand on Shikamaru's shoulder and oh god oh god oh god Temari can just barely make out the expression on Shikamaru's face. He's got a halfhearted little smile and a sparkle in his eyes, and Temari would never have guessed that something so lovely could break her heart like this.

She should have guessed. Sure, Shikamaru had been grateful and reluctant that day in the forest, standing in the aftermath of a battle, but Temari should've known his heart was for Chōji- after all, she'd sat with Shikamaru afterwards, and that's where all his worry went. To Chōji.

It shouldn't hurt her like this, but it does- the fact that she can't provide everything that Shikamaru needs, and that she's not the one he talks to in hushed tones and looks at with unbridled understanding. Temari knows why, knows she's a whirlwind with a mouth full of barbed wire and a fighting spirit in her chest. She's hard to keep up with, hard to manage. She knows. But it doesn't make it hurt any less, not when she tries so hard to slow down, to tame herself a little, to be a bit less caustic, less vicious. It's not enough, and she slips out of the darkened hallway with a heavy heart and a bitter taste on her tongue.

\---

"Did you hear something back there?" says Chōji, looking at a spot over Shikamaru's shoulder. "I thought- huh. Never mind." He turns back to his friend, concern written all over his face. "Anyway, are you going to talk to her? You don't have much time left."

"I don't know," says Shikamaru honestly. "She seems different somehow, and I don't want to do anything until I know what's going on."

"Different how?" asks Chōji.

"It's, well," says Shikamaru. "She hasn't insulted me at all since I arrived, hasn't started a conversation... actually, I think she might be avoiding me, and it's sort of uncharacteristic of her." Chōji nods, brown eyes sympathetic and gentle.

"Have you considered that she's nervous too?" he suggests. Shikamaru frowns.

"I don't know. I can't think of anything that's made her nervous before now, anyway." He pauses for a second, then adds "I don't know what to think of any of this. I need a plan, a solution, something like that, but I can't come up with anything at all." Chōji stays silent for so long after that that Shikamaru opens his mouth to ask him what's wrong, but Chōji just shushes him and smiles, clapping Shikamaru on the shoulder so hard his knees buckle.

"Well, keep the idea in mind anyway," he says cheerfully. "It's late, save the thinking for tomorrow, okay? Get some rest."

"Okay, sure," says Shikamaru, still a bit confused. "'Night, Chōji."

"You too."

\---

Kankurō listens as Temari's bedroom door bangs open and shut before turning to Gaara, who looks back at him with a slight grimace.

"That didn't sound good," he whispers. Gaara's expression tightens and he nods in agreement.

"Do you think something happened with Shikamaru?" continues Kankurō.

"She said she would talk to him," admits Gaara, not wanting to consider the possibility that his suggestion had led to this.

"What?!" yelps Kankurō. "Why didn't I know about this?!"

"I apologize," says Gaara, his voice tight and clipped. Kankurō sighs and tugs absently at his hood- not angry, just increasingly confused and stressed. Gaara stares at his shoes, not wanting to make eye contact.

"It's fine," says Kankurō gently, removing Gaara's Kazekage hat for the express purpose of ruffling his hair. "Do you think it'd be a bad idea to disturb Temari right now?"

Gaara considers that for a moment. Temari is ferocious, maybe, spiky and territorial, but Gaara knows she tries her hardest never to take her emotions out on her brothers. She tries so hard to be gentler with them, even if it runs counter to her chaotic, brash nature. And Shikamaru, Gaara's brain helpfully reminds him. Temari tries to be kinder around Shikamaru. Maybe that's what's been messing her up so badly, Gaara thinks. Temari let down her guard for five seconds and it's coming back to bite her now, and Gaara finds himself hurting along with her. He knows firsthand that bad experiences can change people, and he doesn't want his sister to withdraw further, to hide the vulnerable part of her even deeper within the shell she's made for herself. She deserves to allow herself to open up to people, Gaara thinks. It took a long time for him to realize that for himself, but he can at least try to lead Temari to the same conclusion. Which means, decides Gaara, that he has to stop her from getting hurt like this.

And to do that, he first has to figure out what went wrong. He snaps out of his introspection to nod at Kankurō, who is looking at him expectantly.

"We should talk to her," says Gaara.

"Okay," says Kankurō.

\---

Shikamaru folds his arms behind his head and stares at the ceiling in the dark, trying to focus on the sound of the wind in the desert rather than his own thoughts. He keeps going in circles, wondering and analyzing and theorizing about what went wrong. Maybe he didn't try hard enough, put in enough effort, value Temari like he should have- maybe he lost his opportunity by putting it off too long. He thinks back to his conversation with Chōji and the look on his face when he said she might be nervous too. He wears that gentle, knowing expression a lot, especially around Shikamaru, and the more he considers it, the less Shikamaru doubts himself. Just this once, Chōji has realized something that Shikamaru couldn't see on his own, and if there’s one person Shikamaru would trust to be right in this situation, it's Chōji.

Okay, so Temari was nervous. Why, though? What happened? Shikamaru considers asking Ino to help him find out, but scraps the idea as invasive. Right on cue, the door opens and Ino leans in, warm light flooding past her from the hallway.

"Still glaring at the ceiling this late?" she says. "You should get some sleep, you have more conferences to do before we leave."

"That's troublesome," mumbles Shikamaru, covering his eyes with a pillow. "Wait, when did you say we were leaving?"

"The morning after tomorrow," says Ino, and the bed dips as she sits down on the edge. Shikamaru doesn't have to open his eyes to know she's smiling as she adds "what, did you need to do something before we go?"

"No," lies Shikamaru, putting absolutely no effort into disguising the fact that he's not telling the truth. Ino laughs softly and Shikamaru can hear her hair swish as she shakes her head.

"You should talk to her," Ino says. "Chōji won't tell you outright to do something, he's too nice, but I have no such obstacles."

"Temari's avoiding me," complains Shikamaru. Ino slaps his shoulder.

"Then take some initiative for once in your life," she snaps. "Do it while you've got the chance, okay? If not for yourself, do it for me and Chōji. We want to see you happy, and we don't know when you're going to have another chance."

"Fine," sighs Shikamaru, and immediately gets the breath crushed out of him as Ino hugs him tightly, kisses him on the cheek, and leaves with a cheery "good night!"

Shikamaru falls asleep with a newly restored sense of peace.

\---

Elsewhere in Suna, Kankurō and his siblings are anything but peaceful. Temari yanks open the door, glowering, but lets her brothers in anyway. Her room is a mess, drawers yanked open and books on the floor like she's been looking for something to destroy. Gaara steps carefully over the wreckage over to where Temari is face down in bed, arms folded under her head.

"What happened?" asks Kankurō bluntly.

"Nothing," says Temari, but her voice is so wrecked that Kankurō doesn't believe her for a single moment.

"Temari," says Gaara, and that one word carries more weight than anything Kankurō can ever imagine himself saying.

"He's got someone else," Temari whispers into the sheets. Kankurō's heart sinks like a stone, and Gaara flashes a horrified look over at him before schooling his face back into his usual neutral expression.

"Aw, shit, Tem, I'm sorry," says Kankurō. "I- wow." Gaara says nothing, but pats Temari lightly on the shoulder, which speaks volumes in itself.  
"'S fine," mumbles Temari. "I'll just- I don't know, at least he's happy, right? I'll talk to him as a friend next time." Her tone doesn't invite a reply or a conversation, so Kankurō and Gaara leave to have their own.

"Does he really have a partner?" hisses Kankurō as soon as they're out of earshot of Temari's room.

"I don't know," says Gaara, staring straight ahead. "It seems... rather unlikely, to me."

"Yeah," says Kankurō. "I don't want to believe it, either way."

Gaara nods in agreement.

"We should wait to see if anything more happens tomorrow," hpe suggests. "Until then, I do not see much of a point in worrying over it."

\---

"You really have to do it this time," Ino reminds Shikamaru the next morning.

"Don't have time right now," says Shikamaru, sighing and scrubbing a hand exhaustedly over his face. "We have one more all-day session, I have to focus." He has a nagging suspicion that focusing isn't going to come easily to him today, not with everything else that's on his mind.

He's right, of course- trying to keep his mind from straying during the daylong meeting is like trying to keep water from slipping out of his hands. He can feel the Kazekage's eyes on him, giving him the uncomfortable sensation of being read like an open book. Shikamaru considers asking Gaara what's up with Temari, but decides against complicating the situation any further. He can do this. He can.

To be totally honest, Shikamaru is having serious doubts. For once, though, he decides to trust in his friends' judgement rather than his own.

\---

Temari resigns herself to confront Shikamaru later that day, before the end of his team's last full day in Suna. She'll wish him the best, force a smile, and then hide in her room when the time comes for him to leave for Konoha, she decides. It's for the best.

(It still hurts, no matter how she tries to justify it.)

Temari waits for what seems like an eternity for the meeting to finish, watching the sun move unbearably slowly across the blue, blue, blue desert sky. Finally, Gaara strides past, does a double take when he sees Temari waiting, nods in greeting, and continues like he's in a hurry. The meeting must be over, Temari thinks. She takes a deep breath and heads down to as close an area to Shikamaru's quarters as she can get without being a creep, then waits. Again.

She would really like this day to just be over already.

\---

Gaara meets Kankurō on the opposite side of the building as the visitors' quarters in a room so small and secluded it might as well be a storage closet.  
"We're running out of time," hisses Kankurō. "We don't even know what's going on. I mean, I really don't think Temari was right about Shikamaru having a partner already, but what can we do? Neither of us are close enough to him that we can just ask."

Gaara shakes his head, at a loss. Of the three of them, he probably has the best grasp on diplomacy, but this isn't politics, it's pure emotion, and Gaara really has no idea what to do. He considers how he ended up in a long-term relationship with a Konoha boy, but it doesn't give him any clues- Lee had been so forward, and it had been inevitable.

Gaara wonders if this is inevitable too, if it'll work itself out. He's quiet for a long while, shoulder to shoulder with Kankurō as they puzzle over their sister's predicament, until the door opens and they both look up, startled.

Ino stares at them, looking just as surprised, and Chōji peers over her shoulder into the room.

"Um, fancy seeing you here," says Ino awkwardly, starting to back out. "Didn't mean to disturb you..."

"Wait a second," says Kankurō suddenly, on a whim, "you guys can help us, right?"

Ino eyes him warily, but Chōji nudges her gently into the room and closes the door.

"I think so," he says. "It's about Shikamaru and Temari, right?"

"Yeah," says Kankurō , relief flooding his body. Finally, finally, they're getting somewhere. Gaara folds his hands together in his lap, listening intently.

"We were just going to try and figure out what to do," explains Ino. "It seems like Temari's been avoiding Shikamaru this whole time."

"Oh," says Kankurō, his eyes widening. "She thought Shikamaru was already dating someone. Is- is that not true?"

"No, it's not," says Ino, looking partly relieved and partly like she's suddenly starting to panic. "Chōji, where's Shikamaru?"

"He was going to go pack," supplies Chōji. "Why?"

"Kankurō, where's Temari?" continues Ino as if she hadn't heard him.

"She was heading in that direction as well," cuts in Gaara. The four of them look at each other, seeing the same realization dawn in each of their eyes.

"Shoot," says Kankurō.

"Yeah, shoot," says Chōji. They get up and start heading across the building before one of their knuckleheaded friends messes up in a way they can't reverse.

\---

Temari catches sight of Shikamaru as he’s opening the door to his room, looking tense and exhausted and slightly the worse for wear. She starts to second-guess herself, to wonder if this is the right time, but her body betrays her and steps forwards into Shikamaru’s line of sight. 

Shikamaru looks up, surprised and a little bit hopeful. 

“Temari?” he says, straightening up. “Hey. I, um, actually had something to say to-”

“Something to say to me?” asks Temari. Something shatters in her chest and she continues on. She doesn’t want to hear those words come out of Shikamaru’s mouth. 

“Yeah, I-” starts Shikamaru, but Temari cuts him off, trying to speak before she loses her will. 

“I know,” she says, surprising even herself with how gentle her voice sounds. 

“You do?” says Shikamaru, surprised. “Well, that makes things easier.” Temari swallows hard, trying not to read too much into how casual Shikamaru’s voice sounds, how simple he makes it sound, how- 

How- 

There’s a weight on Temari’s hip, one warm hand resting there as the other brushes across her face, and oh god every shred of thought turns to dust and falls away in the wind as Shikamaru leans in and kisses her, hard. This is not, not, not what she was expecting, and Shikamaru pulls away to give her a questioning glance. A grin starts to spread across Temari’s face and then she’s laughing, laughing until she cries, flinging her arms around Shikamaru and spinning in a wild ecstatic circle- he’s laughing too, now, pressing Temari to his chest. 

Whatever Temari was expecting, the best case scenario was nowhere close to this. 

“That was a long time coming,” she says, breathless. 

“I’m guessing you were thinking about something else,” says Shikamaru. “Tell me about it later.” Temari nods and suddenly nothing matters outside of the cool press of the wall against her back and the way Shikamaru laughs softly against her lips, pure and bright and nothing short of perfect. 

It’s not what she was expecting at all. 

(it’s something she’d only ever dared to hope for.) 

 

Someone clears their throat, and Temari and Shikamaru freeze in place. Shikamaru turns away slowly, letting go of Temari to look behind him, where Gaara, Kankurō, Ino, and Chōji are standing in the hallway, looking thoroughly amused, unimpressed, and really, truly happy. 

“Hey,” says Temari after a brief pause, realizing that her hair is disheveled and she feels like she’s blushing and that this must look pretty bad. 

“I swear we were just kissing,” says Shikamaru. 

“I believe you,” says Ino, and kisses both Shikamaru and Temari on the cheek before smiling brightly and high-fiving the other three. 

“It all turned out fine,” she says triumphantly. “Now, Chōji, let’s find another room for tonight, shall we?”

Kankurō makes a gagging noise in the background, and Temari laughs so hard she almost cries again. 

\---

“So what were you thinking, back there?” asks Shikamaru, lying in bed with his fingers laced with Temari’s. 

“This is embarrassing,” says Temari, “but I thought- I thought you were dating Chōji.” Shikamaru snorts. 

“It’s not as bad as you might think,” he admits. “I mean, I didn’t say anything either.”

“I was sort of avoiding you,” Temari confesses.

“Again, not as bad as you think,” Shikamaru says. “It was kind of one big mess.”

“I can’t believe I never thought to just talk to you,” says Temari. “I’ve never been this shy.”

“And I’ve never been this stupid,” counters Shikamaru, squeezing her hand. “I wanted to be absolutely sure when it came to you, and I couldn’t see what was right in front of me. You mess with my mind.”

“That’s how we know it’s perfect,” Temari half-jokes, and Shikamaru huffs out a laugh. 

“Among other things,” he says. “For sure.” 

They fall silent, listening to the desert singing outside their window, and Temari looks over at the outline of Shikamaru’s face in the pale moonlight falling in stripes from the clear, clear sky. Soon, she knows, tomorrow will come and Shikamaru will leave until who knows when, but the night is soft and perfect and whether it lasts for a moment or for eternity, Temari is happy and at peace. 

It’s good, she thinks to herself. It’s really, really good. 

 

~end~

**Author's Note:**

> thanks so much for reading this!! <3  
> comments give me life btw, if you would be so kind ^^


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